


Can We Just Pretend

by creampuffsunite



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluffy as hell, It's cute and gay, Undercover Missions, Undercover as a Couple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 01:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13800429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creampuffsunite/pseuds/creampuffsunite
Summary: Fake relationships are one of my very favorite tropes to write. In this Sara and Ava have to pretend to be a married couple for a week at a resort for a mission. Neither of them is thrilled about the situation but they grow closer and in the end, it might just be the best thing that could have happened to them. Lots of fluff with angst to come but I promise a happy ending.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've taken a huge break from fanfiction writing but these two have made me love it again! I wrote this whole thing instead of doing my homework so I hope you enjoy it.

“And why do we have to pretend to be married?” Ava groaned. “Why do we have to go undercover at all?”

“Oh come on Agent try to have some fun,” Sara argued, a smile on her face, she knew Ava wouldn’t go along without a fight, but she also knew that deep down she knew Sara was right, “It’s a couples retreat. Do you want to stand out even more? We’re already from the future.” 

Ava calmed down after that. She hated admitting that Sara was right. But actually, the part about this that she hated the most was the pretending. It’s not like she didn’t want to kiss her and hold her hand and play with her hair… but this was a professional mission and their relationship was complicated enough already. 

“Alright fine but we need to set some ground rules,” Ava said turning down the music in the car so she could make sure Sara was listening. 

“Rules?” Sara grinned. “You know how I feel about rules.”

“Miss Lance this is serious. We are on a mission and if we are going to be faking a relationship we need to talk. I am not going to let you jeopardize this mission because you think it's a game.” 

Sara wanted to argue with her but it wasn’t worth it. Ava had a point. They were on a mission and playing the part of a couple was going to be a unique challenge. She had wanted to kiss Ava from the moment they met, even though most of the time she infuriated her. The fact that there was a strong chance their first kiss would be part of this mission upset her, but the more she thought about it the more she realized it was probably for the best. Feelings for Ava would only complicate things even more. 

“Fine.” Sara consented. “What kind of rules do you suggest?” 

“No wasting time. This is an easy mission we don’t need to complicate things by getting sidetracked.” 

“Fair enough. What else?”

“Second, we need to remain professional as often as possible. Physical contact and affection should occur only when it is necessary to protect our cover and before you say anything- yes I am completely serious. Being fake married was your idea but I will not let you use it as an excuse to be inappropriate.”

“Are you done insulting me?” Sara asked, sounding genuinely hurt. “I get it okay. Be professional, it’s a mission. I’m not an idiot.”

“I know that Sara. Look I just don’t want this to get complicated.” 

“When have things between us not been complicated?”

Ava never answered. They had arrived. It was a modest resort, the main building set in a clearing where the forest opened up against the cliffside. The view was beautiful. Ava imagined the sunsets here were incredible. There was something very calming about being isolated in nature like this. 

There were banners for the couple's retreat all over the place and no shortage of couples either. She could see the pool in the distance which was overpopulated with women in ill-fitting bikinis and men in brightly colored shorts. It brought up a memory of the last time she saw Sara in swim clothes. 

Most of the couples seemed to be joined at the hip. It was going to be hard to isolate their target if they couldn't separate him from his wife. More than that though it was going to be difficult not to blow their cover. 

“Ready Miss Lance?” Ava asked, turning off the engine. 

“First of all, it's Captain Lance. Second of all, for the rest of this mission, you mean Mrs. Williams.”

Ava wondered what exactly she had gotten herself into here. Why couldn't they have just sent Gary? Sara could flirt with him all day long and it wouldn't affect either one of them. But this was dangerous for Ava. She worried a small taste of Sara Lance wasn't going to be enough. 

 

The room was really nice. There was a small kitchenette off to one side with a table and two chairs. On the other side of the bed, there was a couch facing a TV next to a sliding door that opened onto a small private patio with another table and chairs. The view was spectacular you could see both the forest and the ocean. Their cabin was on the very edge of the resort isolated from most of the guests so at least they'd have their privacy. There was only one problem. There was only one bed. Because of course.

It was a fairly large bed actually, big enough for friends to share. But colleagues? That might be a stretch. 

“I'll sleep on the couch.” Ava volunteered. She didn't trust herself to sleep that next to Sara. 

“Absolutely not. No one is sleeping on the couch.” Sara said, throwing her bag down. “The bed is huge Ava. If we can't manage to sleep in the same bed for a few nights how do you think we're gonna handle the rest of this mission? It has occurred to you that we might have to touch right?” 

“Yes, I know,” Ava said. That's why she didn't want to do it. It was bad enough they might have to kiss- she would cross that bridge when they got to it, but in the meantime, she needed to maintain some semblance of professionalism or she was going to lose it. “Fine. We can share the bed. But you better not hog the blankets.” That brought a small smile to Sara’s face. A genuine one, something Ava didn't get to see much lately. 

“I'm going to take a shower,” Sara said. “No peeking.” 

It was then that Ava realized there was no door to the bathroom. From where she sat on the bed you could plainly see the shower and the double vanity. 

It made sense Ava thought, this being a resort that specializes in couples retreats, but they really couldn't put a bathroom door? Ava would have preferred a bathroom door even if she was the only one in the room. Just for the privacy. 

When she heard the water turn on she knew she should move to where she couldn't see anything but there was something about the way Sara moved that just begged her to look. The way she shimmied out of her shorts and pulled off her tank top it was like she knew Ava would be watching. It was torture.

Ava always knew Sara looked good under her clothes, but she had never actually seen most of her body up close. She wasn't sure what caught her attention the most. The fact that Sara was really hot, or that she was covered in scars. 

Ava knew she had scars, she'd spent years reading Sara's files. But she hadn't realized just how many there were. Most of them seemed very old, from her days as an assassin, but some of them were newer. The Legends had a history of screwing up, she knew Sara had gotten into trouble a few times but seeing them just made her whole body ache. She wanted so badly to touch them, to touch her and make the pain all go away. Instead, she got up, shaking her head and moving to stare out the window. It really was a pretty view, it was just nothing compared to Sara. 

When she heard the shower turn off she stayed in place, trying to pretend she had been doing so the whole time. 

“Did you want to take one too?” Sara asked. Ava turned to see Sara who had thankfully put her clothes on and hadn't come out wearing only a towel. 

“Oh no- I mean- I don't need to- I'm good,” Ava said, sounding immediately guilty. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. 

“You looked didn't you?” Sara was laughing. It was not a sound Ava thought she could ever grow tired of hearing.

“I'm sorry,” Ava said. “I didn't mean to. I just- there's no door and it was right there-” 

Sara moved closer so that they were only inches apart. She could smell the hotel shampoo in her hair. “Don't worry about it,” Sara said. “It's okay if you think I'm hot.” 

In another situation, Ava would have just rolled her eyes. It wasn't like Sara hadn't said this to her before. But this time she couldn't bring herself to do it. 

Instead, she cleared her throat, stepping away trying to put some distance between them. 

“We should uh, probably talk about what our backstory is going to be,” Ava said slowly regaining her composure. “People are going to ask how we met, how long we've been married. Stuff like that.” 

“Okay true.” Sara sat down at the edge of the bed starting up at her. “We should be newlyweds. It'll be easier to explain when something we don't know about each other comes up.” Ava nodded in agreement. “Where should we say we got married? Are we beach people, city people?”

“Why don't we just tell them we eloped? We had a small party with friends and family but we didn't want to make a big fuss.” 

“Okay sure,” Sara said. Honestly, it sounded like them. For whatever reason, if they were to actually get married she imagined it would go something like that. “What about where we met? We can't even tell them the truth about that.” 

“No, but it's better for our sake if it's close to the truth. Why don't we say that… we met at the gym, and we hated each other at first because we had the same favorite machine and would always steal it from each other. And then one day we decided to just run next to each other instead of competing and then we starting talking and eventually became friends and then… you know.” 

Ava could feel the heat returning to her face. She had just recovered from the first incident. If she could just figure out a way to not be affected by this everything would be fine. But they both knew it wasn't gonna happen. Sara was a shameless flirt. 

“Alright well, then I think we're ready. Well just have to improvise the rest. There's like a party going on by the pool right? Let's go mingle. Are you sure you don't want to change first?” 

“What's wrong with what I'm wearing?” Ava looked down at herself. She had chosen a very casual form-fitting white T-shirt, paired with light washed boyfriend jeans. It was simple but she felt like herself in it. 

“Nothing!” Sara said. “Nothing no you look good. I just meant that- I don't know- nevermind let's just go.” 

Sara was flustered. She hadn't yet had to admit to herself that Ava looked really good in clothes that weren't her normal Time Bureau suit. It suited her, and through the thin fabric of her t-shirt she could see how toned she was and it was sending all kinds of dirty thoughts through her head. She was in for a long weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara and Ava are getting closer! But is it just the mission or are they actually going to do something about their feelings? You'll have to wait to find out but for now here's some more fluffy tropes.

There were more people at the welcome party than Sara expected. The way they were briefed made it sound like it was going to be pretty easy to find their target. Without ruling out staff members there was easily a hundred suspects. 

Someone decided they should hold hands as they walked from their cabin to the party. Neither one of them wanted to admit to it being their idea it just kind of… happened. It felt normal. They passed by a few other couples on their way. Everyone seemed friendly and cheerful. Some of them might have been too cheerful for their taste, but at least they seemed normal. Finding someone that stood out was proving to be a difficult task.

They stopped first at the bar. Both of them agreed that it was necessary to blend in as long as they didn't get drunk. 

Sara managed to find a spot to sit across from another couple. They introduced themselves as Meredith and James. They both seemed genuinely nice. 

“So how did you guys meet?” Meredith asked. 

Ava explained their rehearsed story, thankfully without blushing this time. Sara interjected a few times to add details. 

“That is adorable,” Meredith said. “Do you still go to the gym together?” 

“We try to,” Sara said. “But we've been enjoying ourselves more lately. We just got married last month.” 

“So you're getting your exercise in a different way then,” James said with a knowing smile. 

This time they both blushed. 

“So what do you do for a living?” Meredith asked, breaking the silence. Ava was grateful to not have to make up something about their sex life. 

“I'm a personal trainer,” Sara said. She had decided that after they had agreed on how they met. It made sense and it wasn't like she couldn't prove that she was incredibly fit. “My life is basically the gym. It's the only way I was going to meet anybody. If Ava never joined I would probably be there right now.” 

“That's so cute. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I never met James.” Meredith said, smiling at him. “We've been married for almost 5 years now. We just had a son in January. This is the first time we've been away from him for this long. I'm just glad we have each other, you know? I just miss him so much when he's not around. That feeling never goes away.” 

“Do you have pictures of him? Your son I mean?” Ava asked. She didn't suspect them of anything she actually just wanted to see their kid. She had always had a soft spot for children. When she was younger she had dreamt of being a teacher. That was her cover this week. A physical education teacher for an elementary school. It was a safe like, like Sara's. No one would question them. 

“He's adorable,” Ava said. She didn't notice how much Sara was smiling, seeing her like this. Like a normal person who thought babies were cute. She absentmindedly reached for Ava’s hand under the table, just wanting to be closer to her. She couldn't control it. Ava didn't seem to mind.

After some time they moved on to another couple, ultimately deciding that they weren't suspects either. They were just too nice. 

They had a really nice conversation with the third couple. Jessica and Alice. They learned that they had met in nursing school a few years back and this was their first vacation as an engaged couple. Sara was certain they couldn't be suspects, though Ava wasn't ready to rule them out yet. They were nice and had solid stories but they seemed worried about something. Sara was too trusting sometimes. And it had caused both of them all kinds of trouble before. 

They had moved on their second drink as the sun started to set. Sara was complaining of hunger but Ava wasn't ready to give up on the party yet. There were just so many people here, they had to spend as much time as possible interrogating the other couples. That was the mission.

“What about them?” Sara whispered, motioning to a couple at the far edge of the pool. They sat away from everyone else, sitting close together but not touching. “They've barely moved all night. They haven't talked to anyone and they barely talk even to each other.” 

Ava agreed that something was off about them. They didn't really have much to go on as far as suspects but they did fit the general description. 

“Hey, guys!” Sara said enthusiastically. Ava almost laughed at the sound. It was so unlike her. “We noticed no one was coming over to talk to you so we thought we'd introduce ourselves. I'm Sara and this is my wife Ava.” 

There was something about the way Sara said: “my wife” that made Ava stop breathing for a minute. Such mundane words shouldn't affect her like that, especially when they weren't even true.

The couple looked surprised, and a little bit uncomfortable that someone had invaded their private space. All the more reason to talk to them Ava thought. 

“Oh hi, I'm Chris.” The man said. “This is my wife Kate.” Chris avoided actually looking at them for longer than a few seconds as he introduced them. It was definitely a red flag in Ava's mind. 

“Do you mind if we sit down?” Sara asked. They looked like they wanted to say no, but couldn’t come up with a reason why.

“Go ahead. Here, take my chair.” Kate got up and crossed to the other side of the table, sitting back down next to Chris. There was only one chair remaining. Ava sat down motioning for Sara to sit on her lap. Couples did it all the time, it wasn't like it was weird, but it was weird for them. 

Sara did it though, and Ava wrapped her arms around her waist, securing her so she was leaning back into her rather than falling forward. It was the closest they'd ever been. And Ava was pretty sure it was affecting Sara as much as it was her because the next words that came out of her mouth were shaky and nervous. 

“So what brings you guys here?” She had to clear her throat before and after she spoke. Ava smiled, holding her tighter. 

“Just a vacation,” Chris said. “We travel a lot but this time we just wanted some time to ourselves.”

“That’s so sweet, that you still do vacations together,” Sara said. “How long have you been married?”

“Almost 10 years now,” Kate said. “You guys seem like newlyweds.”

“How’d you know?” Ava asked. She placed a small kiss on Sara’s temple. It was small but effective in protecting their cover. And Ava couldn't help it. 

“You just have that look. The look of two people in love. It changes when you get older.” She explained. 

It was a weird thing to say, but at least their cover was holding up. And as far as Ava was concerned these two were definitely suspects, so anything they said was worth noting.

“Well that’s nice of you to say,” Sara said.

They interrogated them a bit longer but eventually Sara came to the conclusion that they weren't going to tell them anything useful. Not tonight.

“Well, I’m afraid we’ll have to catch up with you guys later. It’s getting late and we haven't gone for dinner yet.” She said. 

“Of course,” Kate said, sounding somewhat relieved that the conversation was over. “Are you guys going down to the lake tomorrow? There's gonna be a barbecue and they're bringing boats and kayaks and I think there are volleyball nets too. Something for everyone.”

“We’ll be there,” Ava said. Sara slid off of her lap gracefully, and Ava immediately missed her. She hadn't realized how much she liked the feeling of Sara's body pressed against hers until it was gone.

*** 

“Don’t you think we should have stayed longer?” Ava asked after they had gotten far enough away to speak freely. They had decided to go down to the lodge to get food but ended up taking it back to their room so they could talk in private. 

“I was hungry,” Sara said. “Besides, it’s not like we don’t know where they’ll be tomorrow. Something is going on with them, but I don’t think we were gonna get any more out of them tonight before they started to suspect us.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ava said. She was still a little annoyed but she was learning to trust Sara. She was good at what she did, most of the time.

After they ate Sara curled up on the couch to watch TV. There wasn’t much to watch, as most of the channels were playing romance movies. She had never been a big fan but it was better than being alone with Ava and having nothing to talk about. 

“I think I’m going to take a shower now,” Ava said. 

“Promise I won’t look,” Sara said. Ava wasn’t sure that she believed that but she was too tired to care. She wanted to just go to bed immediately after this. Spending all day pretending to be in love with someone you might have a real crush on was exhausting.

When she returned from the bathroom Sara was still sitting on the couch, though she had changed into pajamas too. Her shorts had planets and stars all over them. They were actually pretty cute, especially on her. 

“Hey.” She said, looking up at Ava. She looked so normal sitting there. Not like the time-traveling Captain she knew her to be. Just… Sara. “Do you want to watch with me?”

“What are you watching?” Ava sat down, curling on leg under her body. The couch was even smaller than the bed, leaving just a few inches between them.

“The Princess Bride,” Sara said. “The last time I watched it was in Star City with my sister.” 

“Oh, Sara I’m sorry. Why would you want to remind yourself of that?”

She shrugged. “There’s nothing else on that’s even remotely appealing.”

There was silence after that. They just enjoyed the movie for a while. Ava was still concerned about Sara, She kept looking at her to make sure she was okay. It was weird to think that the fearless Waverider captain might be upset by a movie but Sara had always been different when it came to her sister.

“What is going on with you?” Sara asked eventually. “You keep looking at me funny, is everything okay?”

“I just… I know you said you’re okay but if I was you watching this movie I think I would be pretty sad. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Are you worried about me?” Sara asked, a playful smile on her face. Her eyes were still sad but she was trying to joke her way through the pain like she always did.

“I’m always worried about you,” Ava said. It was the truth. Most of the time she was worried that the Legends were going to do something idiotic and get themselves killed. But she often worried that if something else happened to someone Sara loved she would never forgive herself. One of the first things Ava learned from Sara herself rather than her file was that the reason she did so many reckless and stupid things was because she was always trying to make up for something terrible that happened when she wasn't brave, or wasn't there. 

Sara's face was unreadable. She leaned into Ava, her head on her shoulder, for what felt like eternity. It seemed like such a small thing but this was Sara letting down her guard. Submitting. It was very unusual. But Ava didn't mind.

“We should probably get to sleep,” Ava whispered eventually. “I hear there's a pretty sweet breakfast buffet in the morning, full of some of your favorite things, you won’t want to miss it because you slept in too late.”

Sara laughed. “Why do you pin me for a late sleeper?” 

“Because I know you. Come on.”

Sara tucked herself in bed while Ava turned off all the lights and made sure the doors were both locked. They each had their weapons nearby while they slept in case anyone tried anything, but it was a habit of hers to triple check any entrances before sleeping. 

When she finally retired it was hard for her to get comfortable without getting too close to Sara. It had been a while since she shared a bed with someone, but even longer since she’d shared a bed with someone that she wanted to touch but couldn’t. 

They slept peacefully for a few hours before Ava woke up to Sara having a nightmare. She reached over, trying to wake her up. 

“Sara! Hey, it’s just a dream, you’re okay.” It took her a couple tries to finally wake Sara up. “You were having a nightmare,” Ava said, leaning over her. “But you're okay. I'm here.” 

Sara slowly calmed back down, but she couldn't seem to fall back asleep. She kept tossing and turning, keeping both of them awake. 

“I'm sorry,” Sara said sleepily. “I just can’t get comfortable. Maybe I should just go sleep on the couch.”

“No,” Ava said. “Come here.” She outstretched her arms leaving room for Sara to crawl in. She thought maybe if she held her she could forget about the nightmare and not feel so alone.

She saw the protest in Sara’s eyes but as far as Ava was concerned it wasn’t up for debate. They both needed to get their sleep otherwise tomorrow was going to be even harder on them. And they were both professionals. In theory anyway. They could handle spooning for one night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who else is still recovering from last night's episode? I can't stop thinking about these two! Please leave comments if you like this, it'll make it worth all the stress of writing this before my paper!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fake dating shenanigans continue with some heartfelt moments and a day at the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY. It has been way too long since I've updated and I never intended for that to happen I seem to have forgotten that I never posted more of this. So hopefully this long chapter makes up for it at least kind of. No more excuses! I am already working on the next chapter and promise it won't be nearly as long between updates. I am in college so I can't guarantee any kind of timeline except less than a month.

Sara only vaguely remembered how she ended up in Ava’s arms the night before. She remembered the nightmare, but there was nothing unusual about that. Usually, when she had a nightmare or just couldn’t fall asleep, Gideon would hear and play calming music for her. It didn't always lull her back to sleep but it always helped. It had been a while since she's had to deal with it on her own. If she didn’t have Ava she wasn’t sure what she would have done. She hadn’t felt as safe as she did in Ava’s arms in a really long time. Not that she could ever tell her that. It would just make things too complicated.

Sara had already taken a shower and made herself some coffee by the time Ava woke up. 

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Sara smiled. Ava’s hair was an absolute mess. It was cute. It made her look younger and much softer. She rarely got to see Ava with her hair down, physically or metaphorically. It was quickly becoming Sara's favorite part of the mission to be able to see her like this. Like a normal person who didn't act like it was her job to piss Sara off, even though it kind of was.

“Hey,” Ava smiled back at her, her eyes squinting like it was too bright in the room. It was, but Sara wasn't used to waking up to natural light and she was trying to enjoy it while she could. “You’re up early.” 

“I know. I ended up with a pretty good night’s sleep,” Sara said looking at her coffee instead of meeting Ava's gaze. There was something so intimate about waking up together like this and she didn't want to make it any more uncomfortable than it had to be. “I suppose I should thank you for that. I probably should have warned you."

She expected Ava to pity her and criticize her or tell her that what she's doing is wrong and if she did something else she wouldn’t have so much trouble, but she didn't say any of those things. “I take it this happens a lot?” She asked softly.

Sara nodded. “I got nightmares as a child. And then I grew up and well you know, the actual stuff of nightmares started to happen to me that I just can’t seem to forget so yeah… I guess I never really grew out of them.” 

“Sara I-”

“It's okay.” Sara stopped her before they had to talk about something that really mattered. This was a mission after all. There was no room for feelings. “Get dressed so we can go to breakfast I'm hungry.”

“You're always hungry.” Ava sighed. She wanted to talk about what happened last night but she knew Sara was done with the subject and she wasn't willing to push her. For now, she would just have to accept the fact that they slept better when they were together. That was normal right? It was making their story more believable, even if no one saw them like this. 

*** 

The breakfast buffet was everything Sara imagined and more. Ava had never seen her so happy. It was almost enough to make her forget they were on a mission. Almost as if last night hadn't happened. But it had. And it was complicating things more and more by the minute. 

“So what's our plan for today?” Sara asked in between mouthfuls of pancakes. “Obviously we go down to the beach and join the festivities to try and find out more on Chris and Kate. But I mean specifically, how do you want to do this?” 

“Well I have an idea but I'm not sure how you'll feel about it,” Ava said. She had been thinking about it all night. It was hard not to when Sara was right there. In fact, Sara was all she could think about. She was fascinated by her, even when she was pissed with her. Having read her file she knew more about her than was really okay for a friendly relationship but there was nothing in her file that told her what she really wanted to know. Like what kind of shampoo she uses, and what time she wakes up in the morning- no those were the things she was finding out on this trip. And it was becoming harder to keep the boundaries she had set for herself.

“Lay it on me,” Sara said. Ava wondered how she could be so cool and collected this morning when she was a mess of emotions last night who couldn't fall asleep until someone held her. Sara was much better with compartmentalizing than Ava thought. 

“Well they really seemed to think we were newlyweds so I think we run with that. Act like the clueless idiots who are so in love they wouldn't have time to suspect anything. I know that goes against one of my own rules but I just really don’t see another way.” 

“You're proposing we go all out on the affection huh? Is this because you saw me naked yesterday?” Sara asked, that annoying smirk returning to her face.

“Sara this isn't a joke,” Ava was blushing profusely. That was exactly what she didn't want to happen but Sara always manages to fluster her no matter what they're talking about. “Look, I think we've got a great thing going right now, being friends and all, and I don't want to mess it up by having to kiss for show, but unless you have a better plan?” 

“I don't,” Sara admitted, the smirk falling off her face. She almost seemed nervous. “Let's just go with it. What's the worst that could happen?”

They could screw up their chance at being happy together? They could end up hating each other? Or never admitting their real feelings because they think it was all for the mission? Ava could think of a lot of ways this could go wrong. She didn't mention any of them to Sara. She didn't have to. She saw it in her face. The most dangerous part of this mission was the feelings. And they were both terrible at expressing them properly. 

*** 

There were multiple ways to get down to the beach but they chose to hike since it gave them the most opportunity to see the landscape they were dealing with. There were a couple other people on the trail but for the most part, they were alone. Which was really nice. It was fun for Sara to see Ava in such a different environment than what she was used to. Her hair was in its usual bun but it was much looser and messier than it was at the bureau. Perfect beach hair. But Sara longed for her to let it down like it had been this morning.

They recognized a lot of the couples at the beach from the party yesterday. There were so many potential suspects, but no sign of the ones they were interested in.

“Have you see Chris and Kate?” Sara whispered. 

“No, not yet. They must be out on the water somewhere. Or maybe they slept in. Why don't we just walk around? I'm sure we'll find something interesting.” Ava whispered back

“Yeah sure. Lead the way.” Sara said. She held onto Ava's arm as the walked, knowing that they were trying to look more like a couple but not wanting to make Ava feel weird. This was brand new territory for them and they really should have thought more about the logistics of a fake relationship before they agreed to this mission. 

“Let's go get a drink first. I don't think I can go anywhere near a boat without being at least tipsy.” Sara said.

Ava hadn't thought of that before and she could have kicked herself. It made perfect sense that Sara would be uncomfortable around water but she wouldn't make a big deal about it just like she wouldn't make a big deal about her nightmares. That's how she was.

“Well if it makes you feel better I’m not a fan of boats either,” Ava said quietly, reaching for Sara's hand to comfort her. “We both know I’m more of a time-ship kind of person. We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. We can work around it.” 

“Thank you,” Sara whispered. She didn’t even know if what Ava was saying was true, but it meant a lot that she would try to make her feel better. She stopped walking reaching up to cup Ava’s cheek before pulling her in for a kiss. It was only for a second, but Sara meant it. It was almost as if she wasn't in control of what she was doing. Her brain wasn't screaming at her to watch what she does in front of Ava, instead, it let her instincts kick in.

It left Ava speechless. It all happened so fast she wasn't even sure if she should say anything. She was still trying to come up with something when someone started calling their names breaking both of them out of the trance.

“Ava, Sara, we’ve been looking for you all over the place!” It was an overexcited, and very underdressed, even for the beach, Jessica. “I’m not interrupting something am I?”

“What? No, no we were just- hi!” Sara said, not so smoothly recovering from her first kiss with her pretend wife. Ava would have noticed if she wasn't in such a similar state herself. “We were just about to go get a drink, do you want to come with?”

“I was just going to ask you the same thing!” Jessica said though she had clearly already had a few herself. There were plenty of mimosas going around at breakfast she seemed to have had her fair share. “Alice is already over there. Follow me.”

Once they had a drink in them it was easier not to be awkward. And having someone else to talk to and investigate was keeping them from having to talk about it. But then the conversation took an interesting turn.

It started off simple enough, with Alice asking how they got married. Ava explained the story that they had agreed upon, that they had eloped and asked about their wedding plans, as they had said yesterday they were engaged.

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked. “We’re not engaged.”

“I thought you said yesterday that you were?” Sara said, looking over at Ava. For a second she wondered if she was mistaken but that never happened. She wondered why they would lie about that? Ava seemed to be wondering the same thing. 

“You must be thinking of someone else,” Alice said quickly. “We’ve only been dating for a few years.”

Ava was certain yesterday Alice said they were engaged. The only reason Jessica would be confused was if it was a lie, and the only reason they would lie about that was if they were hiding something else. Something like they weren’t a couple… it was the first real lead they had. 

“I guess I must be,” Sara said, trying to act drunker than she was. “It’s just been such a crazy trip you know? So many couples to meet and learn from.”

“Well I don’t think you need to learn anything, you two seem perfect,” Jessica said.

“You know you are the second person to say that,” Sara said. “I guess it must be true.”

“Yeah if anything we should be the ones learning from you,” Alice said. “Come on, tell us your secrets.”

“What do you want to know?” Ava asked. She was pretty sure that it was a test. That Alice was on to them. She was trying to find holes in their story, just like they were doing. It was a smart move, but Sara and Ava were prepared.

“Oh, I don’t know, who made the first move?” Alice asked. 

It was an easy question really, the problem was that it was one they never talked about. And no other couple had asked them.

“Sara did,” Ava said, remembering how she had kissed her earlier. It made it truthful at least. She smiled as she said it. It was a good memory, and something she was still going over in her head.

“It was just a spur of the moment kind of thing,” Sara said, going along with it. “We had been arguing but all of a sudden things just kind of changed. Ava was being so sweet to me even though I was being kind of a bitch to her.”

“Like usual,” Ava interjected. 

“Right. It’s not like you’ve never taken a shot at me.” Sara said. The other couple probably thought they were speaking in metaphors but Ava knew she meant the time she actually shot at her. Sara was never gonna let that one go. “Anyway, I didn’t know how to express my feelings so I just… kissed her. I was so worried that she wouldn’t feel the same way, that I was making up signals but then she kissed me back and everything just felt so right.”

Ava didn’t hesitate before leaning over to kiss her, and just like in her made up story, it felt right. This one wasn’t just for them though. This was for the mission, not like it was hard to want to kiss Sara. For a former-assassin turned timeship captain she was surprisingly soft and Ava was all for it.

“Woah maybe we should give you two some privacy,” Jessica laughed, causing them to break apart. 

“I’m sorry,” Ava said. “I didn’t mean to make you guys uncomfortable. Sometimes I just can’t control myself around her.” She had never seen Sara shocked into silence but it was actually kind of nice. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Ava spotted Chris and Kate exiting a boat. They walked over to the beach and started playing in the water. 

“I found Chris and Kate,” She whispered in Sara’s ear. She smiled, trying to pretend that Ava had said something cute.

“Well on that note I think we’re gonna leave you two alone for a bit,” Sara said. “We’re gonna go join some other friends in the water but we’ll have to catch up again later?”

“Why don’t you meet us for dinner tomorrow?” Alice asked. “That should give you guys enough alone time right?”

Ava smiled. She didn’t trust Alice one bit and inviting them to dinner was obviously some sort of setup but they had to go. They needed to keep them within their radar just in case.

“That sounds great,” Ava said. 

***

“I definitely don’t trust those two,” Sara said as they walked over to the part of the beach where Ava had seen Chris and Kate hanging out. “Why would Alice say they were engaged and then Jessica has no idea what we’re talking about?”

“Obviously because they’re lying. If they can’t even keep their story straight I would bet you they're not even a couple at all.” 

“Well neither are we,” Sara said. “But we are better at pretending.”

“At least we were something before this though,” Ava said. “We at least kind of liked each other.”

“Ava you kind of liked me? That’s so gay Ava.”

“Shut up.” Ava laughed. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“I know but I like that face you make when I annoy you.” 

“Oh, you do huh? Is that why you annoy me so much?”

“It might not be the only reason.” Sara smiled, reaching up to cup Ava’s cheek just like she had before she kissed her. Sara was playing a dangerous game. “I like the sounds you make too.”

“Sara,” Ava groaned pulling away. She needed the distance. “Why are you like this?”

“Like what?” Sara gave her another one of those knee-weakening smiles. She was starting to think that was maybe just Sara's normal smile. Did she have any idea what she was doing to her? 

“Hey guys, we weren't sure if you were gonna come!” Kate exclaimed as they approached. “We thought you might be holed up in your room all day.”

“We thought about it but we couldn't miss out on the beach activities,” Ava said.

“Yeah we could have sex any day,” Sara said. 

Ava started to choke on the water bottle she had chosen to take a swig from at the worst possible time. She recovered quickly shooting a death glare at Sara who just smiled and acted like she hadn't said a word.

“There's plenty of time left in the day,” Kate said with a knowing smile. “We have an umbrella set up over there why don't you guys leave your stuff with ours and come join us in the water?” 

Ava was acutely aware of Sara's body as she stepped out of her already very revealing short shorts. They were supposed to be playing married, it wouldn't seem weird to anyone if she was caught looking at her but she didn't want Sara to be the one to catch her. Sara knew she was hot, and she must know that anyone with eyes would take advantage of the view she was giving them. But Ava felt strangely protective of her at that moment. She knew Sara wasn't actually hers, but she didn't want anyone else looking at her either. 

“Something wrong Sharpe?” Sara asked, noticing that while Sara was prepared to jump in the water, Ava was still wearing her shorts and t-shirt. 

“What? No sorry just… distracted.” Ava looked like a child caught with her hand caught in the cookie jar. She didn't have to say what had distracted her- they both knew.

Ava quickly stripped out of her clothes, quite a bit less gracefully than Sara, pulling quite a few strands of hair loose in the process. 

Ava wasn't a fan of wearing clothes too revealing to hide weapons if needed and the bathing suit she had chosen to wear today was probably the most revealing of all. It was a very vulnerable position to be in, especially next to Sara.

“Ok I guess I'm ready,” She said, looking over at Sara, who had a look on her face that Ava recognized. “Something wrong Lance?” 

Hearing her own words snapped her back to reality.

“Absolutely not. You look great. Do you need another drink? I need another drink?” 

Ava nodded “Do you want me to come with you?” 

“No don't worry it's just right over there, you'll still be able to see me.” That wasn't what Ava was worried about but she thought it might be best to just go along with what Sara was saying. “Go ahead, I'll be right there.” 

***  
If Sara thought seeing Ava in clothes other than her Time Bureau uniform was exciting, that had nothing on seeing Ava in a bathing suit. 

She assumed she looked good under the clothes, based on how she fought that was a given. But it was a completely different thing to see it for yourself. Ava was hot, and Sara couldn’t handle it. 

She realized the irony of calling out Ava for staring and then proceeding to do the same thing, but much worse. But that wasn't her only reason for deciding she needed another drink. 

It had been a while since she had been in a position where swimming was necessary to a mission, and even though she thought she was okay she was reminded how vulnerable being in the water really was. She had to remind herself that the water was shallow and there were witnesses everywhere. Nothing would hurt her. As if Ava would let it. She had been so quick to reassure her before. Everything was going to be fine. But liquid courage didn't hurt. 

Even though everyone there was on a couple's retreat the bartender seemed intent on flirting with her. She tried to brush him off, hoping he'd take the hint but nothing was working. 

“Listen, buddy, if I don't get these drinks back over there I'm going to have a very angry wife on my hands,” She lied pointing to Ava in the water who she noticed was watching her very closely. “Do you think you could hurry it up at all?”

He picked up the pace significantly after that but didn’t seem ashamed. Sara walked away muttering under her breath about how she could have broken his hand or something if there weren’t so many witnesses.

“Everything okay babe?” Ava asked when she got closer. The water was colder than she had anticipated, covering up the involuntary shiver that went through her body when Ava called her “babe”. The water where they were standing was only up to their thighs. Sara had thought they were a lot farther out originally but was happy to see she was wrong. 

“Everything is fine,” Sara replied handing Ava her drink. “The bartender was just being a dick. It’s a couple’s retreat, I shouldn’t have to point out my wife to get him to stop flirting with me.”

“He was really flirting with you?” Kate asked. “I cannot believe some people. Just because we’re wearing bikinis doesn’t mean we want that.”

“I know. I could have broken his finger if I wanted to. That would have taught him a lesson.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” Ava said, eyeing her carefully. “She would never actually do that.” She reassured Kate. The last thing they needed was a violent reputation. 

“Where’s Chris?” Sara asked, changing the subject. 

“Oh, he had to take a work call. I tried to convince him not to but he said it was important. He shouldn’t be gone long.” The way she said it was odd. Sara wasn’t sure if it was because she was hiding something or if she was just upset with her husband for taking a work call on vacation. It seemed like it could go either way. And Chris not being very social was not exactly indication that he was the one they were looking for. They needed more.

****  
As the day went on it became harder for the two of them to get anywhere with their mission. Everyone was drunk and partying, including the two of them.

Sara was having a harder time with the beach atmosphere than she was willing to admit and had surpassed Ava in terms of drinks hours ago. She was quite drunk and latched onto Ava like a baby koala. Ava didn’t mind seeing as her mind was nowhere near capable of doing any real work at this point in the day. She was starting to wonder if they were even headed in the right direction. Maybe the thing that didn’t belong was an object and not a person. She would have to talk to Sara about it in the morning when she was more herself.

“Ava I’m hungry. Take me back to the buffet.” Sara whined. 

“The buffet has been closed for hours, honey.” Ava laughed, brushing the hair out of her face. Trying to reason with drunk Sara was proving to be a challenge. She was as argumentative and stubborn as always but more needy and childlike than Ava had ever seen her. And so touchy. There was always a part of them touching like Sara needed the reassurance that Ava was still there, that she was real. And Ava kind of needed that too. “What about s'mores? I think that’s what they’re doing at the bonfire over there?”

“S’mores are good,” Sara agreed. Ava stood up first lending a hand to Sara who appeared to need help. Every time she took her hand, even for something like this Ava felt like they just belonged together, But maybe that was the alcohol talking. 

Sara had no intention of actually letting Ava help her up, instead, she pulled her back down until she was on top of her. 

“Can I tell you something?” Sara whispered, as if there was anyone else close enough to them that could hear. They were as close together as they possibly could be. “You’re really pretty like this.”

“What do you mean like this?” Ava could feel her heart beating faster than she thought was possible from being this close, and hoped that Sara was too drunk to notice.

“Like normal Ava. Having fun Ava. Not trying to shoot me out of the sky Ava.”

“That was one time Lance. And you disobeyed my direct orders.” Ava said rolling her eyes but unable to resist matching Sara’s smile with one of her own. She knew Sara had said that on purpose just to get a reaction out of Ava. She really could be a brat sometimes. “Do you want s’mores or not?”


End file.
